1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multimedia portable electronic device, such as a DMB phone, a cellular phone, a PCS, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a Hand Held Phone (HHP).
2. Discussion of the Background
As generally known in the art, a portable electronic device is an electronic device carried by a user for wireless communication with a desired person. The wireless communication, for example, may be voice communication, message transmission, file transmission, video communication, camera functionality, etc. Such a portable electronic device can also act as a personal secretary, i.e. it can manage a person's telephone number book and schedule.
Portable electronic devices tend to be smaller, slimmer, easier to grip, and lighter for better portability. They are also evolving to provide a wider range of services (i.e. multimedia-oriented), and much emphasis is given to their entertainment contents (e.g. games).
Conventional portable electronic devices may be classified as bar-type devices or folder-type devices according to their appearance, more particularly, according to their portability and user convenience.
Folder-type portable electronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,406.
Portable electronic devices may also be classified as swing-type devices or sliding-type devices according to the manner in which they are opened/closed.
Sliding-type portable electronic devices are disclosed in detail in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0071911, and swing-type portable electronic devices are disclosed in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/822,380.
While conventional portable electronic devices may allow a user to conveniently input data or check displayed data in a phone mode for voice communication or message transmission, they cannot guarantee the same level of convenience in a multimedia-oriented environment.
This is because the display unit of conventional portable electronic devices may not have a wide screen, and the keypad may have a limited number of keys, which may make it difficult to input complicated data.
Current trends are moving toward more convenient data input/output devices.
Therefore, a portable electronic device having a data input/output device adapted to a new interfacing environment (e.g. portable Internet) is needed.
In addition, when the keypad of a conventional portable electronic device is folded/unfolded, components for rotating/sliding the terminal are exposed. This may degrade the aesthetic appearance of the portable electronic device. There is also concern that the user's finger may get stuck in the device and be injured when the terminal is rotated/slid.